5 must-have restaurant technologies to help you prepare for the Post Covid-19 world!

Businesses are failing, anxieties are at an all-time high, and economies are falling apart. What’s the cost of running a business during a crisis like Covid-19?

Working closely with the Restaurant Industry for the last 5 years has made me realize how fragile this industry is. Even a small PR piece faltering the consumption of seafood can hit red alert, causing a dramatic fall in sales for weeks and months. And why won’t it be? We are a generation of conscious eaters, and we understand our food more than any previous generations.

And with such pandemics happen? Well, the loss is fathomless.

Restaurants — they are turning into haunted outlets. They are evaporating, one by one!

It’s a sad state that we all are in, but even sadder for those who just can’t cope with the losses or don’t know what to do to beat the disruption caused by this novel virus.

This article is to help all those restaurant owners who are working hard each day to ensure that their business is able to see the other side of the pandemic.

The New Normal for Restaurants

Businesses have been reeling in uncertainty during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The only certainty perhaps is the belief that consumer behavior will never be the same again. Restaurant owners need to rethink their business model and adapt to the new expectations of the new world.

If we talk about the changing landscape of the restaurant industry, there has been an exponential growth in food delivery services over the last month with over 78% of the sales coming through online ordering platforms, mobile ordering apps, and social media for doorstep delivery.

What does this mean for the restaurant landscape post-COVID-19 pandemic?

We are emerging into a different operational and technological restaurant landscape and operators are in an optimal position to take advantage of the opportunity to rebound and thrive in the new world of personal safety and social behavior.

Identifying new opportunities

For the restaurant industry, there’s one change that’s inevitable — online ordering is going to be the norm. While many establishments had already endorsed online ordering, some were still hesitant to see it only as an auxiliary sales channel. Yet others, especially fine dining, had completely dismissed it.

However, during the mass lockdown, online ordering has saved many establishments from shutting down and restaurants, of all nature and size, have now been advocating its necessity even in a post-COVID-19 world.

A recent study by Technavio has revealed that despite the current situation, the online food delivery services market is poised to grow by USD 104.45 billion during 2019–2023, progressing at a CAGR of over 15%. Therefore, for restaurant businesses that are open to technological solutions, the future holds huge opportunities.

The planning and preparation required to bounce back from the present disruption need to start now.

The first step evidently is to identify and install the best online ordering system. Reliance on third-party aggregators may help you get a head start but in the long run, this can impinge on your overall revenue and even hurt your brand identity. So the best recourse is to have your own online ordering service.

Apart from the online ordering system, restaurants will also need other tech solutions such as reliable contactless payment and delivery services, a demand directly emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here’s a list of key restaurant technologies you can invest in to come out strong from the disruption of 2020.

Important Note: All the platforms mentioned below are my personal recommendations based on their contribution to the industry during the pandemic outbreak. Each of them has rolled out offerings, resources, and relief funds to give back to the community that helped them grow in the first place. We respect their contributions!

Restolabs for online ordering

Since its launch in 2012 Restolabs, a cloud-based online ordering software, has found major traction with small and medium establishments in the U.S. They offer a wide array of features — from social media ordering to inbuilt marketing tools and seamless order management system — for surprisingly affordable pricing. And this has been key to their growing popularity.

In solidarity with the community, Restolabs is running a special campaign, offering two months free subscription for a modest $149 set up fee for all new clients. This relaxation can help restaurants launch their own branded online ordering website without feeling monetary pressure. The COVID-19 lockdown has shown how online ordering is indispensable today and this is a great opportunity for restaurants to make the much-needed shift.

Additionally, Restolabs is constantly publishing insightful articles to help restaurants navigate evolving situations and prepare themselves for the world post-pandemic. They cover topics such as safe deliveries, contactless solutions, marketing strategies, and technologies with tips to minimize the revenue impact of the coronavirus and drive new revenue where possible.

To learn more about Restolabs, book a live demo here!

Postmates for last-mile deliveries

The San Francisco-based Postmate, established in 2011, is now the fourth-largest delivery app in America. The innovation-led company was featured on Time magazine’s Best Inventions 2019 list for their semi-autonomous delivery robot Serve.

In addition to its low environmental impact, this could be a great solution for safer no-contact delivery, a factor that will take high precedence post the pandemic.

Postmates has recently launched an aid program for its delivery workers affected by the COVID-19 outbreak to include relief for some parents and caregivers left without childcare or who are caring for sick family members.

Through its Postmates Fleet Relief Fund, the delivery company will advance cash stipends for families in California and New York. A much-needed program for gig workers, who’re one of the most affected groups during this crisis.

Clover Go for contactless payments

Clover Go is a popular on-the-go payment solution for businesses. A client is provided with a sleek card reader and a mobile app, which allows them to accept transactions through various payment gateways.

Clover Go also allows customizations to set up discounts, tips, and tax rates and has features like building orders, running reports, and texting receipts from the app itself.

Clover Go could emerge as a big winner in the contactless payment category, especially for the restaurant industry, as a perfect service for curbside pickup, takeaway, and delivery business during and after COVID-19.

At the moment, they’re running a resource center to helps businesses deal with the impact of the crisis. This contains a compilation of a list of federal, state, local, and corporate-sponsored business aids, apps to help streamline businesses, survival guides, toolkits, and relevant articles. Their comprehensive guide on social media for small businesses in the age of COVID-19 is particularly insightful.

Punchh for a customer loyalty program

Among other technology-led solutions for restaurants, Punchh offers an AI-driven customized loyalty program. They offer flexible and customized loyalty programs like tiered membership on multiple online and offline channels.

A standout feature is definitely the ability to automatically read reviews in real-time and convert customer sentiment into quantifiable metrics using AI and machine learning.

To extend support to their partners, Punchh has started a knowledge and resource center to help the industry navigate through the current disruption. Their ready-to-download collection of best practices and insights is a valuable read for all restaurant owners. This list covers important topics like marketing and loyalty checklist, tactics to increase average order value, and strategies to stay relevant and maintain engagement during COVID-19.

Revel Systems to upgrade POS system

Revel Systems provides cloud-based POS and business management system for restaurants. The Revel Essentials caters to small chains or single sites, while the Revel Enterprise solution is suited for large chains. They have a wide range of features that effectively cover key areas like customer experience, payments, and finances, management, and point of sale processes.

To support their clients during the COVID-19 pandemic, they have allocated up to USD 1 million worth of funds towards the Revel Relief campaign. Restaurants who’ve been hurt by the current predicament, with the exhaustion of funds, for instance, can apply for the relief program requesting a reduction in their technology fees.

Final thoughts…

If we’ve learned anything from past catastrophes, it’s that some of the biggest innovations and new technological opportunities have always followed such a crisis. This is because businesses are forced to rethink current models and extend creative responses to overcome major setbacks.

We can expect a similar reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants who’re receptive to technological shifts and advancements will effectively tackle challenges brought on by the current situation to stay ahead of the curve. As we’ve already mentioned above, the time to start making a move towards these technological solutions.

Finally, in a post-COVID-19 business landscape, empathy will become a critical factor in inspiring customer loyalty. Support in any shape and form has been much needed for several struggling restaurants across different cities in America.

The companies on this list are not only leaders in the restaurant technology sector, but their emphasis on giving back to the community they serve will be key in differentiating them from competitors once the world springs up from the present adversity.

Be back soon!